Sign up today for Post Pro Picks, The Post's free, weekly NFL pick 'em game, where you can win great prizes, form groups to play against your friends, see how you fare against our experts or just play for fun. Register at http://washingtonpost.com/pro-picks

Mr. Saunders' Offense

No doubt you've all seen Coach Joe Gibbs' comments from Thursday on Clinton Portis. So let's move on, shall we? Les Carpenter was on Redskins duty at the OTA and had this to report....I know you're all on top of the news, but I thought this might give you a positive thread, for a change this week. The Saunders offense is clicking, but there are nagging injuries to big names, like Portis, Moss, Cartwright ....It may be only late May, but how much significance do you attach to those?
Please have a safe holiday; I'll be working Sunday-Thursday, so I'll try to post new threads as needed.
[And a note to Lisa and other bloggers who are put off by the dopes intent on hijacking this blog. Please come back and restake your claim! They will not succeed; the web powers are on the situation. The best way to deal with jackasses is to ignore them.]

Lost in the Portis debacle is the fact the Redskins finally may be grasping the offense that associate head coach Al Saunders introduced before last season. Many who have been in the system in Saunders's previous stops in St. Louis and Kansas City say it takes two years to master. That time might be coming.
Tight end Chris Cooley said he has noticed a difference in the way the offensive players have been practicing this spring, with everything seeming crisper, sharper and more cohesive.
"I think the offense is faster than before," he said. "Guys are faster when they know where they are going. I know I'm leaps and bounds beyond where I was last year. I feel more comfortable in what I'm doing."
And other news: Running back Rock Cartwright injured his left ankle Tuesday when a teammate stepped on him. The injury has grown worse in the last couple days with some tendinitis developing, so he has been held out of workouts. . . . Wide receiver Santana Moss has a sore right hip flexor and also has missed workouts. An MRI exam on the injury showed no damage. . . . Linebacker Lemar Marshall has a sore hamstring and has been kept out of workouts. . . . The team expects linebacker Marcus Washington to be cleared to play at its minicamp in early June. He has been recovering from surgery on his hip and elbow. . . . The Redskins signed wide receiver Terry Mitchell from Grand Valley State and released offensive lineman Cornelius Rogers, who had been signed as an undrafted free agent last week.